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Transcript of Effective Research: Research Process Step by Step

Effective Research Improving your skills ResearchSkills @ Your Library! Think Ask Read Imagine Create Here are the sources for this presentation! For more information about research methods, try these links: Information Literacy Modelshttp://ictnz.com/infolitmodels.htm

Our own Research Guide at:http://library-online.libguides.com/research-skills

Image: Continuous process improvementhttp://www.adjigol.com/myblog/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/continous_process_improvement.gif We have a guide to Research Skills with loads of resources at:http://library-online.libguides.com/research-skills

More information about Research Skills teaching at The Dixie Grammar School can be found at:http://library-online.org.uk/research/ What is research? Go straight to Google? Type in the first word you can think of? Click on the first website? Cut and paste something that looks OK? Mix it all together? Then hand it in? Defining the question Planning Locating and Gathering Selecting and Appraising Evaluating Presenting Organising and Recording Think carefully about your question. Break it down into parts. Define new questions if necessary.Mindmap to find out what you already know about the topic.Examine your mindmap to work out what you need to find out. Add these ideas in a different colour. Be clear about what you are expected to do.What is your timescale? What do you have to hand in at the end? How is this going to be marked?Plan how you are going to manage your time. Work out the task sequence. Gather appropriate equipment.Look at your mindmap and identify keywords and phrases to use in your research. Identify sources of information - libraries, online databases, museums, internet, journals, people etc.Think about your keywords and phrases.Think about your search techniques and how you could improve them.Start your search, keeping a note of your sources so that you can return to them later and cite them in your work. Skim and scan your sources.Evaluate your sources and check for bias.Identify relevant sources.If necessary ask for help to find more sources for your task. Note-taking using an appropriate method. Summarising and paraphrasing as necessary.Use highlighters to show the essential information.Check so that you are clear about plagiarism and how to cite/reference your sources.Spend some time thinking about what you have found out so that you synthesise the information. Write up your research in an appropriate way, checking back to make sure you are fulfilling the task.Acknowledge your sources by referencing them properly in your text and writing a source list/bibliography.Use footnotes where appropriate.Proof read your work carefully. Reflect on and analyse strengths and weaknesses.Think about the skills learned to help improve upon performance. Startwith theQuestion! This is a continuous process,not a linear one!